Tuberculosis is not only a biomedical problem but a social issue because of the nature of disease. TB patients are subjected to judgement and are not treated at par. Not only patients but those who had been cured also experience stigma and discrimination. That’s why most of the people either do not disclose if they had / have active TB in the past. To address TB associated social stigma it is important to ‘Talk about TB’ and break the cycle of silence and accept the TB patient and those who had been cured and their families in social milieu. To promote an inclusive society for TB survivors and to give a positive message in societal setup - Saksham Jan Urja (SJU) - an initiative of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, in cooperation of Municipal Cooperation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), Mumbai District Tuberculosis Control Society (MDTCS) and with support from Tata Power Community Development Trust (TPCDT) organised a cricket match ‘Maitri Cup’ between employees of Tata Power (Team Tata Power) and TB survivors (Team Jan Urja) on the eve of World TB Day on March 24 2017.

The match was organised at sports complex, Tata colony, Chembur. Mr. Sunil Dhamne, Deputy Municipal Commissioner - Public Health, was the chief guest of the match. In his opening remark, he emphasized on the severity of TB issue in Mumbai and how the social stigma is a hurdle in the fight against TB. The programme was attended by Dr. Padmaja Keskar (Executive Health Officer, MCGM), Dr. Sanjiv Kamble (State TB Officer, Maharashtra), Dr. Daksha Shah, (City TB Officer) and Mr. Vivek Talwar (Chief Culture Officer and Chief Sustainablity Officer, Tata Power). Prof. Shalini Bharat (Deputy Director- academic, TISS and Programme Director - Saksham) stressed on to join hands against TB diseases and associated stigma. Twelve overs match was played between the teams and Jan Urja team won the toss and decided to bat first. Players showed a marvellous performance and built a mammoth score of 132. Team Tata Power tried their best to chase the score but lost. It was a joyous moment for the team –Jan Urja. All the players were facilitated by Mr. Talwar. The match gave a message to the society that once cured, a TB patient is just like any other community member and can lead a normal life like others and should be treated at par.